Sen. Alexander pledges to work with President Trump

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Sen. Lamar Alexander sat down with CNBC to discuss a range of topics, including his view of President Donald Trump. What follows can be an edited, condensed excerpt of the conversation.

CNBC’s John Harwood: today, your colleague, Sen. Bob Corker, recently had some very strong things to say about the president. You were asked about of which, and also also also you made a joke, like, “Oh, they should go play golf together.” yet I think you know This particular can be not about two guys having a personality conflict. This particular can be about a very serious and also also also experienced legislator, of your party, who says he can be worried for the country about the stability, the competence of This particular president. can be he right? and also also also are you worried also?

Alexander: Sen. Corker’s a very serious person. What he says can be worth listening to always. The president does things and also also also says things of which I don’t do, and also also also of which I don’t approve of. yet he was elected by the people, and also also also I spend my time, for example, trying to work with him, and also also also with Democrats, with whom I don’t agree, to get a result on health care so I don’t have songwriters in Nashville who can’t afford insurance. I think of which’s the best way for me to spend my time.

Harwood: yet are you worried about a nuclear crisis with North Korea, and also also also somebody who can be not up to the job creating the decisions inside crisis?

Alexander: Well, let’s give the president a chance. His Asian trip seems to have gone pretty well, through what I’ve been able to tell. I think most presidents who arrive thinking they’re going to deal just with domestic issues — I think of Bill Clinton, I think of Ronald Reagan — end up dealing mostly with issues they’ve never thought much about. and also also also some become very not bad at the idea, as President Reagan did, having very little foreign policy experience to start with. So, let’s see if the president’s style of things gets a better result in North Korea.

Harwood: yet you don’t think he can be a unique case, in terms of the potential peril to the country through his behavior and also also also the way he makes decisions?

Alexander: Oh, he’s a unique case. He’s completely unconventional. He doesn’t do things, as I said, the way I might do them, nor the way I might rather presidents act. yet he was elected by the American people.

Harwood: can be he dangerous?

Alexander: I’m not going to sit here and also also also say he’s a dangerous man. He’s a man of which the American people entrusted with the presidency, and also also also I’m going to try to help him succeed.

Harwood: I talked to a Republican member of Congress the some other day, talking about the comments by Corker, Flake, McCain — colleagues of yours who are not running for re-election …

Alexander: Yeah.

Harwood: … who said very alarming things about the president — worried out loud. I said, “When are you going to see people who are not leaving the Congress do of which?” and also also also his answer was simply, “Bob Mueller. When Bob Mueller comes back with something serious, of which’s when you’re going to see everything change.”

can be of which right? and also also also do you expect something serious through Bob Mueller?

Alexander: I don’t think there needs to be one more person, and also also also I’m not going to be one more person, spending most of my time worrying about an investigation of which we have a special prosecutor undertaking, of which we possess the intelligence committee undertaking. Let them do their job. I’ll do my job.

Harwood: You came to office as governor. You were elected and also also also took office early because the outgoing governor was behaving corruptly. and also also also there was an intervention by people in both parties to try to deal with of which situation. Do you have any concern of which Donald Trump and also also also the situation we’re in today could turn into a Ray Blanton situation?

Alexander: Oh, I certainly desire not. I mean, what was happening in Tennessee at of which time was, as you know, the governor was selling pardons for cash. and also also also he later went to jail for selling whiskey licenses for cash. and also also also his general counsel went to jail for selling pardons for cash. I don’t think we have of which situation inside White House today.